Do you have designer collaboration fatigue yet? You better not, because there's another one to look forward to. JCPenney just announced a "seasonal collaboration" with London-based--and First Lady-approved--designer Duro Olowu.

Do you have designer collaboration fatigue yet? You better not, because there's another one to look forward to. JCPenney just announced a "seasonal collaboration" with London-based--and First Lady-approved--designer Duro Olowu.

JCPenney has proven itself to be rather fearless when it comes to collaborations--Joe Fresh, Marchesa, and William Rast, to name but a very few, are all in the retailer's line-up. Olowu is still a relatively unknown designer here in the US but that could change with this collection once Americans get a gander at his wares--especially since the price range is between $10-$100.

The line will be available in JCP stores and online from March through May 2013 and includes women's clothing and accessories, as well as a home line--think dinnerware, stationery, and decor. Since Olowu is a master of color and print, you can bet it's going to be vibrant.

“I am proud to partner with jcpenney to create and launch this new seasonal collection,” Olowu said in a press release. “Working with jcpenney has allowed me to merge my vision of style and quality with their affordability, resulting in a line that is stylish, beautifully made and accessible. It has been an exciting experience to bring this fashion and home collection to life.”

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JCPenney has been in the news a lot lately; the retailer is very publicly trying to change its stodgy image and bring exciting brands to the store, with the ultimate goal of, naturally, getting people to shop there again. A Target-esque merchandising strategy was rolled out by JCP's new-ish CEO Ron Johnson at the beginning of the year, featuring collaborations with established designers and a new shop-in-shop format instead of an open selling floor. But will it work?

When H&M announced its latest designer collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela, we'll admit we were a little surprised. Margiela is so avant-garde, so cult-y, and with little name recognition (OK, more than a little thanks to Kanye) we'd have figured them the last brand to do a collaboration with a mass retailer. But then again, H&M got Karl Lagerfeld to do a line for it in 2004, and then, somehow, the retailer convinced the most reclusive and enigmatic of designers, Rei Kawakubo, to do a Comme des Garcons collaboration in 2008. So maybe it's not so surprising that Maison Martin Margiela is doing a mass collab--maybe it's even obvious. It seems like every major designer has done a lower-priced collaboration with any number of mass retailers recently.

Queen Elizabeth II is getting downright festive in her holiday dress (well, for her, anyway). {HuffPo}
Jane Fonda is 75 (!) and credits her youthful looks to good genes...and, okay, a good plastic surgeon. {US Weekly}
A new study shows a majority of women prefer 1950s-eqsue men; let's not try to unpack the feminist implications of that and just enjoy looking at Jon Hamm as Don Draper, shall we? {Daily Mail}
Andrej Pejic covers Elle Serbia in head to toe Jean Paul Gaultier. {Styleite}

And the next H&M designer collaboration is...wait for it...Maison Martin Margiela!? We never saw this one coming.
According to WWD, H&M will announce a one-off holiday collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela "soon." H&M has neither confirmed nor denied the collab, saying, “We never comment on rumors,” but we're hoping this one happens, if only to see what fans wear when they inevitably line up for it days in advance. Plus, we trust WWD's sources.
The Swedish retailer's past collaborations have included Versace, Lanvin and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few--brands with instant name recognition and obvious mass appeal. But H&M seems to be taking an edgier turn lately.